


Vents and nightmares

by Em_nerdyfangirl



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Attempt at humour, slight angst, winterhawk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 18:37:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10622754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em_nerdyfangirl/pseuds/Em_nerdyfangirl
Summary: Clint was crawling through the vents in the middle of the night when he hears something...Coming from Bucky Barnes' room...





	

Clint was going about the usual - well, usual for him anyway. He was crawling through the vent system of the new Avengers facility in the middle of the night. His brain had woken him up and decided that he needed to check on everybody in the facility. He tried to go back to sleep, he really did, but that apparently was not an option. And so, for the 3rd time this week he found himself making his way from one end of the building to the other through the vents. No one else knew of this habit, not even Nat. He didn't want them to know. It was bad enough that he did it - it would be worse if anyone found out. But he couldn't help it. With everything that had happened - Loki and his brain control, the death of SHIELD and his job, ULTRON and nearly dying and seeing that Maximoff kid take the hit for him. Then Cap bringing his old, OLD best friend home and Tony having to accept that. Too many people had either died or nearly died for him to not have to check up on them.

So yeah, he was in the vents. He was just going through the section that seperated off into the private dorm area for the avengers (it's the last place he goes so he can circle back to his room) when he heard a noise. It wasn't one of the normal 'bump in the night' noises that all buildings make. This sounded more...pained? Curiousity peaked, Clint silently crept towards the noise. It was coming from the vent he'd scratched with a tiny star, the symbol for their newest members room. Each of them had a little symbol on the vent that went to their private rooms. The vent system was pretty neat. Although they were all connected, each room could be shut off and sealed in case of some form of gas attack. He crept through the vents and peaked through the cover into the Winter Soldier's bedroom. Although he was Barnes now. Or Bucky. Whatever. Barnes was stock still in the exact middle of the bed, sheets crumpled by his feet. His fists were clenched at his sides and Clint could hear the metal one whirring in protest even from here and even through his hearing aides. He silently watched as Barnes made another distressed sound. The clenched fists rose slightly, shaking; and then, if possible, clenched tighter before lowering back to hover by his sides. Clint quietly unlatched the hatch, holding it so it didnt bash against the wall when it swung down on the hinges at the bottom. He then wriggled his way out, stealthily and smoothly rolling his body so he landed on his feet despite having gone out head first. He reached up and put the hatch back into place, not clicking it shut completely in case he needed to make a quick escape.

Now that he was in the room, he could hear the tiny whimpers that Barnes was making. Clint tiptoed closer but stalled when he caught up to his actions. What was he doing here? Sure Barnes was in distress and pretty much the whole reason he'd been skulking around in the vents in the first place was to make sure that wasn't happening to anyone. But he didn't know Barnes, not really. They'd had short conversations during training and such, sure. But the longest they'd talked was that one morning when neither of them slept well and they bonded over how shit the coffee tasted at 5am. Yet here he was, trying to think of a way to help Barnes escape his nightmare. Clint shrugged and leant forwards, gently nudging the other man's shoulder. This did nothing to wake him and instead seemed to make it worse. Barnes started to thrash about slightly, feet getting caught up in the sheet and eyes screwed up tightly. Clint winced and decided to try something else.  
"Barnes? You hearing me?" He whispered. Barnes calmed down slightly, going back to being rigidly still. Clint nodded to bimself. Okay. He could do this.  
"Barnes? You need to wake up. You're having a nightmare. I don't know what shit you went through but you need to snap out of this." A thought occurred to Clint and he sat down next to the bed, chuckling to himself quietly.

"I'm here 'cos of my shit but that holds nothing to yours. Three days of brain washing is nothing compared to seventy years but damn do I know how it feels. I mean, mine was a psycho god trying to control the world and yours was a psycho Nazi organisation with the same goal. Still. In case you're worried, it's fine to have nightmares and freak outs and shit. God knows I do. And everyone else in this place. And yes, that includes Steve. I don't catch his often but when I'm on my night wanders through the vents, if I hear him I'll get JARVIS 2.0 to put the lights up gradually. It wakes him up and he can just go for his run earlier than usual. So yeah, those days when he's already been out before you and Sam get up to join him isn't him being healthy. It's him having nightmares and having no other way to deal with it. I don't get that. I get completely sleepless nights and panic attacks at the most inconvenient times. That's why I have a pair of purple-tinted sunglasses that I wear sometimes while on missions. They filter away the blue. It's also why Stark put the temperature control in my uniform hotter than it really should be - I don't deal well with cold. I guess thats the joys of being brainwashed by a frost giant." He muttered.

"I didn't know you were brainwashed." Comes a quiet voice from the bed.  
"Holy FUCK!" Clint jumped, scrambling to his feet. "How long have you been awake?"  
"Since 'psycho god and psycho Nazi organisation'." Barnes replied, stretching out his cramped up muscles.  
"Shit man. Sorry for the rambling. And the intrusion into your room." Clint rushed out, moving back towards the vent.  
"Don't worry about it. It helped." Barnes replied. He half-smiled at Clint and Clint smiled back, pleased he didn't piss off the guy who could snap his neck with one hand. Barned stood from the bed and it was at this point that Clint registered that Barnes was only wearing pyjama pants and that he himself was in boxers and a tshirt with his compact bow and quiver slung over one shoulder. He stood silently while the other man ran his fingers through his hair, yawning. Then he did something truly stupid. Something 'open all the cages at the zoo' stupid.  
"Hey, do you wanna go get some shitty 4 in the morning coffee?"

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Wrote this while on holiday so sorry for editing mistakes.  
> Also had to get that tiny Hamton reference in there! (Sorry not sorry 


End file.
